Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on 12 December that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopia will terminate on 13 February 2026. The decision covers roughly 15,000 Ethiopian nationals who received TPS in 2022 after conflict in Tigray escalated. DHS now says conditions have improved sufficiently to lift the designation.
Beneficiaries have 60 days to obtain another immigration status or depart. After the grace period, ICE may detain and remove those who remain without lawful status. Employers must re-verify work authorisation for TPS employees by the February deadline and update I-9 forms.
![DHS to end Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopia, giving beneficiaries 60 days to depart]()
Human-rights groups dispute DHS’s assessment, citing ongoing violence and State Department travel warnings that urge U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to several Ethiopian regions. Litigation is likely: federal courts previously blocked terminations of TPS for Haiti and El Salvador under similar circumstances.
Companies employing Ethiopian nationals should alert affected staff, explore H-1B cap-exempt or student-visa options, and prepare for possible workforce disruptions if litigation fails to preserve status.
Beneficiaries have 60 days to obtain another immigration status or depart. After the grace period, ICE may detain and remove those who remain without lawful status. Employers must re-verify work authorisation for TPS employees by the February deadline and update I-9 forms.
Human-rights groups dispute DHS’s assessment, citing ongoing violence and State Department travel warnings that urge U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to several Ethiopian regions. Litigation is likely: federal courts previously blocked terminations of TPS for Haiti and El Salvador under similar circumstances.
Companies employing Ethiopian nationals should alert affected staff, explore H-1B cap-exempt or student-visa options, and prepare for possible workforce disruptions if litigation fails to preserve status.
